Hen&#39;s nest.



B. E. BARTHOLOMEW.

HENS NEST.

APPLICATION FILED r1113. 24, 1908.

PatenfiedDec. 1, '1908.

TUE NORRIS PETERS co., wnsumarom-m'c.

BERT E. BARTHOLOMEW, OF TENNANT, IOWA.

EENS NEST.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 1, 1908.

Application filed February 24, 1908. Serial No. 417,420.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BERT E. BARTHOLO- MEW, citizen of the United States, residing at Tennant, in the county of Shelby and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hens Nests, of which the following is a specification.

The object of this invention is an improved hens nest which is automatically closed upon the entrance of a hen therein, and which may be occupied by only one hen at a time, and thus prevents the hen from being disturbed by the other hens crowding upon the nest. And a further object of the invention is an improved nest which is adapted to prevent the hen from escaping therefrom, and thus permits the non-laying hens to be readily culled from the laying hens, and also permits an egg in the nest to be readily identified in regard to the hen that laid it, which is obviously desirable where some of the hens have pedigrees.

l/Vith these and other objects in view that will more fully appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists in certain constructions and arrangements of the parts that I shall hereinafter fully describe and then point out the novel features thereof in the appended claims.

For a full understanding of the invention and the merits thereof, reference is to be had to the following description and the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a transverse view of'my improved hens nest. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section thereof. Fig. 3 is a front elevation with the door in open position. Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Fi 2. Fig. 5 is a horizontal longitudinal sectlon partly broken away Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the drawing by the same reference characters.

My improved hens nest comprises a box 1 which is open at its front end to form a doorway 2 and which is provided intermediate of its ends with a transverse partition 3. This artition divides the box into a vestibule 4 mto which the doorway leads, and an inner portion or nest proper 5 which communicates with the vestibule by means of an opening 6 extending through the partition at an upper corner thereof. The rear portion of the top of the box is hingedly connected to the forward portion 7 o the top, and forms a lid 8 which renders the nest proper 5 readily accessible to permit the eggs to be removed therefrom.

A door 9 is mounted in the doorway 2 to close the same, and is provided at its inner face intermediate of its side edges 10 and 10, but nearer the side edge 10, with two vertically alining cars 11 through which a vertical rod 12 passes, said rod being secured in the doorway, as shown. A wing 13 is secured to the inner face of the door at the side edge 10 thereof, and extends inwardly therefrom and substantially perpendicularly thereto, said wing being adapted, upon the opening of the door, to be carried into a position to extend across the vestibule and to abut against one wall thereof to limit the outward movement of the door. This wing is formed at a lower corner with a cut-away portion 14 which, when the wing extends across the, vestibule, is diagonally opposite the opening 6 in the partition, and which is designed to permit a hen to pass therethrough.

The arrangement of the cut-away portion 14 and the opening 6 of the partition forms a tortuous passage, so that a hen, after entering the doorway and passing through the cut-away portion, must travel diagonally across the vestibule to reach the nest proper, said win being so arranged that the hens back wilFbear thereagainst while the hen is moving diagonally across the vestibule, and will thus swing the wing, and effect the closing of the door after the hen. When the door is in a closed position, the wing 13 obviously limits its inward movement, and thus prevents another hen from pushing against the door and swinging the latter inwardly to ain admission to the nest. The door is ormed at its edge 10 with a recess 15 which is arranged to admit light into the vestibule to attract the attention of the hen when she desires to escape from the nest, and to cause her to push against the door contiguous to the recess, whereby to swing the door outwardly and leave the nest ready for occupation by another hen.

In order to prevent the hen from opening the door and thus esca ing from the nest when it is desired to co ne her in the latter, a spring latch 16 is secured at one side of the doorway, the recess 15 normally forming a clearage for such latch, and a plate 17 is pivoted at one end to the outer face of the door, and is adapted to be swung over the recess 15 and frictionally held in position so as to be engaged with the spring latch 16, u on the closing of the door, and thus hold t e door securely in closed position. A peep hole 18, which is preferably screened, extends through the door at the side edge 10 thereof, and is arranged to admit light into the vestibule when the recess 15 is closed by the plate 17, to attract the attention of the hen, and to cause the latter to leave the egg and attempt to escape from the nest by hearing against the portion of the door contiguous to the peep hole. When the recess 15 forms a clearage for the latch, the plate 17 is swung over the peep hole, to close the same and thus allow light to enter the vestibule through the recess 15 only.

In the preferred embodlment of the invention, the box 1 is constructed of sheet metal, and the bottom 19 and the sides 20 of the box are constructed of an integral strip of metal, the sides 20 being formed at their upper and rear edges with outstanding flanges 21 arranged for engagement with the returned edges of the forward portion 7 of the top of the box and the rear end 22 thereof. The partition 3 is formed at its side edges with pins 23 which project through openings in the sides 20, to hold the'partition in place, and the door 9 is detachably mounted between the forward portion 7 of the top and the bottom 19 of the box. It is obvious that, in this case, the parts of the box may be readily separated to permit the latter to be conveniently cleaned.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is:

1. A hens nest comprising a box having a doorway, a door pivotally mounted intermediate of its ends in the doorway and formed with openings on opposite sides of its axis, and means for closing either of said openings.

2. A hens nest comprising a box having a doorway, a partition extending across the box behind the doorway and formed at one corner with an opening extending thereeocgeso through, a door mounted in the doorway, and a Wing secured to the door and adapted to extend across the box when the door is in open position, said wing being formed with a out-away portion diagonally opposite the opening in the partition.

3. A hens nest comprising a box having a doorway, a door pivotally mounted in the doorway, and a wing secured to the door and arranged to extend across the box when the door is in open position, said wing being adapted to bear against the walls of the box whereby to limit the inward and outward movement of the door.

4. A hens nest comprising a box having a doorway, a door pivotally mounted in the doorway and formed at one edge with a recess, a spring latch carried by the doorway, said recess normally forming a clearage for the latch, and a plate arranged to be moved over the recess whereby to be engaged with the latch.

5. A hens nest comprising a box having a doorway, a door pivotally mounted in the doorway, a wing secured to the door within the box and arranged to extend across the box when the door is in open position, a spring latch carried by the doorway, the door being formed with a recess providing a clearage for the latch, and a plate pivotally secured to the door and arranged to be swung over the recess whereby to be engaged with the latch upon the closing of the door.

6, A hens nest comprising a box having a doorway, a door pivotally mounted intermediate of its ends in the doorway and formed on one side of its axis with a recess and on the other side of its axis with a peep hole, and a plate pivoted to the door and arranged to be swung over the recess or the peep hole.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of'two witnesses.

BERT E. BARTHOLOMEW.

Witnesses:

JOHN W. BARTHOLOMEW, HER-MAN W. MoCoNNELL. 

